London Irish 32-30 Saracens: Benhard Janse van Rensburg scores twice in Exiles win

Benhard Janse van Rensburg scored twice for London Irish

A last-gasp Paddy Jackson penalty secured a bonus-point derby win for London Irish after Saracens looked to have stolen victory at the death.

The home side had led from the second minute when Benhard Janse van Rensburg scored the first of his two tries.

Substitute Nick Tompkins' late converted try had put Saracens in the lead for the first time after the Exiles had Adam Coleman sent off.

But in a dramatic finale Jackson's kick decided a thrilling contest.

Saracens remain second in the Premiership but are now 11 points behind leaders Leicester while the Exiles rise to fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Gloucester.

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Irish flew out of the blocks and were ahead when Van Rensburg slid into the corner for the match's first try.

The South African then scored his second before Tom Woolstencroft got over the line after a sustained period of Saracens pressure.

Declan Kidney's side again made an emphatic start to the second half as Coleman charged down a kick and gathered the ball to score the Exiles' third try.

With Sean O'Brien in the sin-bin for the hosts Rotimi Segun scored a converted try for Saracens to narrow the gap to just two points.

Ollie Hassell-Collins then scored for Irish to widen the margin again, but a red card for Coleman - for a collision with Alex Lewington in which he sustained a head injury - set the game up for a tense end.

Saracens thought they had made the extra player count to win the match as Tompkins scored a late try to put them 30-29 up.

But Jackson stepped up to settle the match and take his personal kicking total to 13 points for the day.

London Irish director of rugby Declan Kidney speaking to BBC Radio London:

"To get any result against Saracens is always a good day's work, so to stay in the fight as long as we did in the second half was difficult and a credit to the whole organisation.

"Sarries were trying to hang on to the ball for the last few minutes to play the clock and we put in a lot of good educated, disciplined tackles.

"We managed to turn over the ball and hang on to it and down the penalty."

On Adam Coleman's injury: "Thankfully he's on his feet in the dressing room and talking.

"We'll have to mind that and deal with the [red] card issues."

Saracens head coach Joe Shaw:

"We knew coming into the second half we needed to give the best account of ourselves for what we wanted to do, and we tried to flip that in the second half.

"Obviously them getting a try so early in the first half and the second half didn't help, but for what we wanted to get into, it took until the last quarter of the game really.

"And the truth is we did fight back and give ourselves an opportunity, but we're a team that want to be able to do what we plan and what we're going to execute from minute one.

"Let's not get away from things, we spent some time in their 22 and then Irish fronted up, so it's not easy and credit to them.

"But we know there's a lot more in the tank and it just took us too long today for us to really get our foothold in the game."

London Irish: Stokes; Rowe, Rona, van Rensburg, Hassell-Collins; Jackson, Phipps (capt); Goodrick-Clarke, Creevy, Van der Merwe, Nott, Coleman, Cracknell, Gonzalez, O'Brien.

Replacements: Cornish, Gigena, Hoskins, Munga, Tuisue, White, Hepetema, Cinti.

Sin-bin: O'Brien (52 mins).

Red card: Coleman (75 mins).

Saracens: Goode; Segun, Lozowski, Morris, Lewington; Manu Vunipola, Van Zyl; Mako Vunipola (capt), Woolstencroft, Koch, Isiekwe, Swinson, McFarland, Earl, B Vunipola.

Replacements: Pifeleti, Mawi, Wainwright, Christie, Wray, De Haas, Tompkins, Maitland.

Referee: Hamish Smales (RFU).

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